


I Thought You'd Understand

by harrywoops



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: 900reed, Angst, Betrayal, Choking, Dark, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Dom/sub Undertones, Eventual Smut, Gavin900, Hate Sex, Hate to Love, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Slow Burn, Smut, and i love this plot even though its overused, i cant write anything without jealousy, im a slut for jealous men!, its not 900reed without my fav kink, man i love gavin, no beta we die like men, or gavin900, probably, so here we are friends, sooo..... im obsessed with 900reed, whatever it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-08 08:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15239151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrywoops/pseuds/harrywoops
Summary: Gavin Reed thought his biggest problem after the android revolution would be the fact that he had to sit across from the most annoying android of all for the rest of his time in the DPD.His luck was proven to be especially unlucky the day RK900 walked into the department._____or basically, the one where gavin bets his friends in the break room that he can turn rk900 deviant by the end of the quarter.





	1. chapter one - inadequate

Gavin was typing up his latest report, trying his hardest to ignore Hank and his metal pet flirting out of the corner of his eye. Connor was perched on the edge of Hank’s desk, leaning forward to rest his arms on his thighs. Hank was leaned back in his chair but was facing the android as they talked quietly, sharing secret little smiles.  
  
It made Gavin feel sick. When Connor was first introduced to the department, Gavin couldn’t wait for Hank to throw a fit. They had both talked endlessly about their hatred for the robots, even attending a protest once to keep them out of the city council. But then the most fucked up thing happened, within less than a few months Hank had peeled the anti-android stickers off his computer, removed himself from online protest groups and stopped coming into the break room to talk shit about them with Gavin. Instead of spending his breaks with Gavin and the rest of the team he would sit at his desk, with the machine, eating food that Gavin _knew_ Hank couldn’t have cooked by himself. But as if that wasn’t enough, after the revolution Gavin was sure they were _living_ together. He had stopped counting the times they had arrived and left at the same time, shoulders brushing against each other as they walked through the department.  
  
Gavin just didn’t get it. How did Hank actually enjoy spending time with it, enough to replace everyone and change everything about his life and himself? Sure, he seemed happier and hadn’t come into the precinct hungover for months, but Gavin would rather have Hank screaming at people drunk off his face that see what he was forced to see right now; Hank showing Connor a video of a kitten and saying that it looked like him. Hank’s shit-eating grin at Connors laugh was enough to make Gavin turn off his computer and basically run to the break room.  
  
Gavin rolled his eyes at the “Good morning Detective.” that the android chirped out when he passed its desk. He increased his pace but managed to nod his head slightly, just to make sure Hank wouldn’t chew him out for being a dick later.  
  
He had almost made it, the smell of coffee making his mouth water, before Captain Fowler’s voice bellowed out from the glass room in the middle of the precinct. “Reed. In here.”  
  
“Goddamnit.” He mumbled, sighing loudly as he turned back around. Gavin hated the Captain’s office, having had his fair share of screaming matches behind the soundproof but completely clear glass walls.  
  
“Close the door behind you,” Fowler mumbled as Gavin walked into the office, not looking up from the paperwork he was holding. Gavin complied and lazily threw himself into the chair in front of the desk.  
  
The captain lay the papers in his hand down slowly, making eye contact with Gavin. “Look Reed, you know I’m not one to fuck around. I’m going to give it to you straight. You’re falling behind.”  
  
“What?” Gavin knew that he wasn’t as fast to finish cases as his co-workers, but it was only because he had denied getting any help from the androids in the division. Most people were partnered up with an android after the captain had seen how well Hank and Connor had worked together. The captain had only asked Gavin to consider the same once, but Gavin’s protest against the idea was enough to let him work alone.  
  
“I’ve allowed you to work alone on cases that I knew Hank and Connor, or any of the other teams could do in half the time because I respect you as a detective. But it’s just not working anymore.” Fowler motioned to the papers in front of him as he spoke, gesturing to case reports that he had filled out over the year.  
  
Gavin couldn’t help but scoff and roll his eyes at the comment about Hank and Connor. Of course, they could do it in half the time. Because Connor is a fucking machine, and Hank is a big old man that people are scared of. “What a fucking joke,” Gavin mumbled, shaking his head before he looked over at the pair through the glass.  
  
What was weird was that they were looking right back at him, Hank suppressing a smirk as he mumbled something to Connor, making the android look surprised.  
  
He furrowed his brows in confusion as he looked back at Fowler, who had witnessed the interaction.  
  
“Word got out then. Hank seems to know already.” Fowler mumbled under his breath.  
  
“Know what already?” Gavin demanded, sitting upright.  
  
“I can’t have you wasting time anymore. You’ve been assigned a partner. It's an improved Connor model, CyberLife reccom-”  
  
Gavin shot out of his chair immediately. “Is this a fucking joke? What the fuck are you talking about?” He yelled, feeling his face turn red with anger.  
  
The captain remained stoic in his chair, expecting this kind of reaction. “Don’t make this into a bigger deal than it needs to be, Reed. Either you work with it or you’re fired.”  
  
Reed blanched at this, his next round of insults coming up short in his throat. “Fired? You’re going to fire me unless I become some kind of android fucker like Anderson? You do realize that’s what’s going on between them right? The only reason he got soft is ‘cause he’s fucking it. I can’t even- I’d rather get fucking fired than turn into a pussy like hi-” Gavin fell back into his seat as he rambled, holding his head in his hands.

His head was a mix of fury and revulsion, so much so that he didn’t notice the door opening and closing until there was a pair of shoes to the left of him.  
  
Gavin froze, unable to make himself lift his head. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. “Captain, please-don’t...” His voice was quieter, almost begging.  
  
“Detective Reed, meet your new partner. RK900.”  
  
  



	2. chapter two - introductions

“Detective Reed, meet your new partner. RK900.”

  
Gavin still didn’t lift his head from his hands, hoping for the possibility that he was just having a nightmare. The firm hand that came to rest on his shoulder ruined that chance.

“Your stress levels are at 73%. You should try to bring that down before it impacts your blood pressure, Detective.”   
  
Gavin looked up at the voice, his eyes widening at the sight of his new partner. At first glance, it looked like Connor. But when he really looked, the differences were there. Instead of the annoyingly wide brown eyes that Gavin had come to hate on Connor, its eyes were a piercing, unblinking shade of grey, looking down at him. The uniform it was wearing was different than Connor’s too, the high collared white and grey suit looking as if it had just left the store.  
  
 _More like just left the fucking factory_ , Gavin thought to himself.   
  
“Don’t fucking scan me.” Gavin quipped, standing up as he roughly brushed the android's hand off his shoulder. When he stood up, he looked back at the android again, becoming even more furious when he realized that it was almost a full head taller than him.   
  
“I’ve had the desk in front of Reed’s cleared out, so you can sit there. He’ll show you where that is.” The Captain was addressing the android and it nodded in response, making Reed throw his hands up.  
  
“Great. What next? You’re going to make me live with it?” Gavin was seconds away from stomping his foot like a petulant child, his frustration reaching a peak.  
  
“There won’t be a need for that. Lieutenant Hank Anderson will be providing me with accommodation for the time being.” The androids voice was deeper than Connor’s and lacked any emotion that Connor had managed to acquire over the time he had worked in the department.   
  
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Gavin muttered back, making the Captain roll his eyes.  
  
“Grow up Reed. I’ve had enough this.”   
  
Gavin felt dizzy, desperate for the coffee he was about to drink before he was called into the Captain's office to have his life ruined.   
  
“Fuck you.” He stormed past the android, not glancing back at it or the captain. 

  
____

 

  
Gavin rested his elbows on the table in the breakroom, holding his cup of coffee in his hands. It had been almost 15 minutes that he had been standing like that, eyes unfocused as he thought about his new work situation.  
  
He’d had bad experiences with partner work, and he struggled to imagine having to go back to that. He worked better alone, and he _knew_ that Fowler had seen him treating Connor like shit for the first few months after he arrived. Fowler also knew about his aversion to partner work, so what was the deal? Maybe Gavin really _had_ started to slow down.   
  
Hank walked into the break room, silent as he strolled over to the coffee machine to press the button, before leaning against the counter to look at Gavin.  
  
Hank laughed quietly as he noticed Gavin ignoring him, so instead went to stand right next to him. “It’s not the end of the world,” he whispered as if it was some kind of joke.  
  
“What would you know?” Gavin mumbled back, not in the mood for Hank’s newly acquired positive attitude.  
  
“The fuck you mean, what would I know? Did you forget that I was the first one in this precinct to get partnered with an android?”  
  
“Yeah, and it didn’t take long before you shoved your dick in its mouth and turned into a complete fucking pussy.” Gavin knew he was being harsh, but he couldn’t help himself. He was pissed that Hank knew about it before he did, and he was pissed that Hank thought it was some kind of fucking joke.  
  
Hank ignored Gavin’s comment as he went back to grab his coffee before returning to lean against the table next to Gavin again. Through the glass wall, they could see Connor and RK900 talking at Connor’s desk, clearly familiar with each other.   
  
“How long have you known about it?” Gavin asked, watching as Connor and the new android interacted.   
  
“A week or so. Connor knew about him first, they had already met during the revolution. Fowler asked me if I could keep him with me and Connor while they tested him out with you.” Gavin didn’t miss Hank mentioning that it would be staying with him and Connor, confirming what Gavin had already suspected about them living together.   
  
“Kinda strange, huh? They look so alike, but also different.” Hank continued, gesturing to the pair of androids who were now just staring at each other, LED’s blinking between yellow and blue.  
  
“The fuck are they doing?” Gavin questioned, never having really paid attention to androids interacting with each other before.   
  
“Talking to each other. They do it when they don’t want anyone to hear them, it’s like, some weird shit in their system, makes them talk to each other in their heads. Drives me fucking nuts, ‘cause I know they’re talking about me if they do it at home.”  
  
“Why’d you even agree to let it stay with you? Connor not enough for you anymore?”   
  
Gavin knew he was testing Hank’s patience, but Hank ignored him like always. “I said yes ‘cause Connor seemed excited at the idea.”  
  
“And you’ll do anything Connor wants you to do.” Gavin sneered, throwing away his empty coffee cup.   
  
“Oh, shove a sock in it, Reed. Be miserable about this all you want, doesn’t change the fact that this is gonna be good for you.” Hank snapped, finally having enough of Gavin’s attitude.   
  
“I don’t need your advice. I’m not fucking planning on playing mommy and daddy and tricking myself into thinking that it’s a real person, Hank. That’s just you.”  
  
“Screw you, Reed.” Hank stormed out of the room, breaking the androids attention when he got back to his desk.   
  
Gavin watched as Connor’s LED turned red for a split second when he noticed Hank’s mood, before turning yellow as he listened to something Hank was saying.   
  
Suddenly both androids were looking at Gavin, RK900 looking blankly while Connor looked pissed.   
  
“He fucked ratted me out to a pair of machines. Greaaat.” Gavin muttered to himself, trudging over to his own desk.   
  
He ignored the trio as he sank into his chair, unlocking his computer and opening the case file that Fowler had sent over. His eyes grazed over the information half-heartedly, assuming that the android would have a permanent memory of the file anyway.   
After a few minutes, the android walked back from Hank’s desk to make itself comfortable at the desk opposite Gavin. It hadn’t tried to talk to Gavin ever since it left the Captain’s office, and Gavin liked it better that way.   
  
Maybe it wouldn’t be terrible to have a machine working alongside him on cases, as long as it stayed at least five feet away from him at all times and kept its mouth shut.   
  
Gavin had spoken too soon, however, as only a few minutes later he felt the android’s gaze on him over the top of his computer. Gavin tried to ignore it, but it started to feel creepy by the five-minute mark.  
  
“What the fuck are you staring at?” He mumbled, not lifting his gaze from the file he was studying.  
  
“I am just trying to understand your hostility towards androids.” It answered, voice unwavering.  
  
“What do you know about my hostility toward androids? You’ve only been here an hour. Probably only been alive for a month, anyways,” Gavin snickered to himself, looking over his computer at it.  
  
It’s LED spun yellow for a second, then back to blue. “Four months, actually.”  
  
“Huh?”   
  
“I was created by CyberLife four months ago. Also, I know about your past behavior from my predecessor, Connor. We have discussed you in preparation for my integration into the department.” RK900’s voice was impassive, but Gavin could see that it was studying him and his reactions.   
  
“You don’t know me.” Gavin defended, annoyed at the idea of Hank and his pet androids discussing him before he even knew one of them existed.   
  
RK900’s LED spun yellow as it processed what Gavin had said before he began to list. “Gavin Reed. 36 years old, born in the year 2002. Working with the DPD for 11 years and 3 months, worked under the supervision of Lieutenant Anderson for 5 years. Was married for 6 years, divorced 9 months ago. Ex-wife named Clara Jeff-“  
  
Gavin jumped out of his chair and grabbed RK900 by the collar, leaning down to bring his face close to his own. “I’m going to break your _fucking_ nose if you keep talking, you plastic prick,” he threatened, his voice a low growl.   
  
RK900 brushed Gavin’s hands off his collar easily, standing up from his chair and towering over the detective. “I’d like to see you try.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for the feedback on the first chapter! i really appreciated all the comments and im so happy you liked it so far! i hope you enjoy this chapter just as much and please continue to comment your thoughts or ideas! x


	3. chapter three - bargains

“I’d like to see you try.”

 

“The fuck did you just say?” Gavin seethed, pushing RK900 backward.

 

RK900’s back hit the edge of his desk but he barely blinked, his LED a stable blue. His emotionless eyes stare down into Gavin's, as the precinct quietened down to listen in. Gavin moved closer to the android and pushed on his chest, not giving it a moment to think of a response.

 

“Listen here asshole. You are a machine. You do what I say when I say. If I tell you to shut up then you keep your fucking plastic mouth shut.” Gavin threatened under his breath, low enough that only RK900 could pick out the words.

 

RK900 opened his mouth to speak, before looking over Gavin’s shoulder. His LED spun yellow for a moment, then back to blue by the time he looked back at Gavin. “I apologize, Detective. I was out of line.”

 

RK900’s voice was even more emotionless than it was before, and Gavin barely had time to react before the Captain’s voice bellowed out from behind him.

 

“Reed. Get your hands off him.”

 

Gavin closed his eyes for a moment, trying to stop himself from turning around and punching the Captain in his face instead.

 

“As you wish, Captain,” Gavin laughed in frustration, pretending to brush the lint of RK900’s shoulders. He stepped back from the android, giving it space to stand up straight again and fix his tie.

 

“I need you both out to this location, androids gone missing. I need any information you can get.”

 

Gavin held himself back from rolling his eyes. Missing android? Since when did machines start being classified as missing instead of being lost?

 

Gavin took the file from the Captain, eyes skimming over the profile. Male android, model WB200. Last seen at it’s home, by its _partner_ ; a human. Gavin still struggled to comprehend the idea of a human choosing a machine to give their love to, rather than a human. How can you really be attracted to something, knowing that it's just wired underneath? That with the change of a code they can be something entirely different?

 

He turned to face RK900, who had been reading the case file over his shoulder. “I’ll drive,” Gavin commanded, grabbing his keys from his desk and making his way out. RK900 was silent as they got into the car, and began to make their way to the address.

 

The silence was awkward for Gavin but RK900 looked calm, his LED shining a bright blue color that matched the warm summer sky outside. Gavin tried to think of the case as he drove, but couldn’t help but keep his thoughts away from the android that was sitting beside him. He had never been asked to work with one before, let alone have one in his car. Gavin felt uncomfortable with his driving skills, wondering if the android was critiquing him silently.

 

“What’s your name?” Gavin decided to break the silence before his mind exploded.

 

RK900’s eyes snapped to his face as Gavin stared straight ahead. “You’ve already been told. It’s RK900.”

 

Gavin rolled his eyes. “That’s your model number, jackass. You need a name that isn’t such a mouthful, at least when we’re working.”

 

Gavin watched as the android's LED went yellow, processing the idea of having a name. 

 

“You know, like Connor,” Gavin continued.  


 

“I understand the concept, detective.”

 

Gavin chose not to respond to that and instead began thinking of names for the machine.

 

“Carter?”

 

The android didn’t respond, and Gavin took that as a no.  


 

“Flynn?” Silence. “Kevin? Richard?”

 

“So you can shorten it to Dick? No.” The andoird finally responded.

 

“Fine, fuck. You choose then.” Gavin mumbled.

 

“Nines.” The android decided after a beat.

 

“Nines. Just, the number. Seriously?” Gavin couldn’t suppress his surprise at the fact that the machine didn’t want a human name.

 

“It’s shorter than my model name so it’s easy to use, and it’s reflective of my model. I believe it fits the criteria of a name.”

 

“Nines.” Gavin tested out. “Sounds stupid.” He lied, not wanting to admit the fact that it actually sounded kind of cool. No way.

 

_____  


 

“Look, ma’am, you’re going to need to relax so I can take your infor-”

 

“He wouldn’t leave me like this! I know it!”

 

Gavin had been trying to get information from the missing android's partner for the last half hour, but was making no leeway as the woman cried and yelled, in a state of panic.

 

“Okay, but if he _was_ to lea-”

 

“I’m telling you he wouldn’t!” She cried, clutching what Gavin assumed to be the androids shirt in her arms.

 

Gavin sighed and got up, stretching his arms above his head looking for the android. Nines had been searching the house, looking for any clues that he could find as Gavin interrogated the woman.

 

Unlike his predecessor, Nines was not programmed to integrate with humans. Where Connor was all soft-voiced, and doe-eyed with the ability to calm even the most irrational human, Nines was hard and cold, built for the purpose of solving cases; not coddling humans.

 

Nines walked out of the kitchen and approached Gavin and the woman, having overheard her cries throughout the house. “Let me try,” he whispered as he passed Gavin, low enough for only them to hear.

 

Gavin scoffed and stepped back, intrigued to see how the machine was going to interact better with a human than him. Instead of sitting opposite her like Gavin had, he kneeled in front of her, placing a hand on hers.

 

“What is his name?” He voice was not like the once Gavin had been forced to hear all day, it was softer, not unlike Connor’s. He looked different at that moment, his tone and posture mirroring a therapist at work.

 

The woman sniffed and looked at him, before looking at the shirt in her hands. “Fredrick,” she mumbled.

 

“When was the last time you saw Fredrick?”

 

“Two nights ago. He went outside for just a second, to put the trash out but he never came back inside. I-I saw a man talking to him when I passed the window, but I thought he was just a neighbor. But now, I-I don’t know.” She moaned, rubbing her fingers on the seams of the shirt.

 

“Can you tell me what he looked like?” Nines asked and the woman began her description.

 

Gavin wanted to be annoyed at the fact that it only took a few seconds for Nines to get the information, but he was frankly glad to finish up quicker; even if it meant letting the machine take charge.

 

In only a few minutes they had a description of the possible suspect, and Gavin waited by the door as he watched Nines say goodbye to the woman.

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll get Fred back in no time.” Nines assured, smiling at the woman. She nodded back, looking much calmer than before.

 

As Nines turned his back on her to walk towards Gavin at the door, his smile dropped instantly and his eyes lost their kindness. The mask he had put on had lifted, and Gavin was reminded of the android’s purpose. Complete the mission.

 

Gavin felt himself shiver as Nines brushed past.

 

_____  


 

A few days had passed since Gavin and Nines had questioned the woman about her missing android. The description of whoever the android had been talking to didn’t match any profiles on record, but Gavin was determined to finish the case, knowing that this whole thing was a test for Gavin to see if he could catch up with the rest of the department. His pride was too strong to let this case go cold, and he had been working harder than ever to solve it.

 

After sitting at his desk for more than a few hours Gavin got up, needing coffee in his system to even consider working throughout the rest of the day. Nines didn’t look up as he left, the android engrossed in a security camera video on his computer.

 

As Gavin made his coffee, another detective entered the break room, muttering a ‘hello’ as he joined Gavin at the counter. Gavin looked up and saw his colleague Keith, a slightly younger detective who had joined the force around the same time as him. Although he was a bit too energetic for Gavin’s liking, their mutual dislike and distrust of androids kept them fairly close.

 

“Can’t believe they paired you with one of ‘em too.” Keith joked, elbowing Gavin in the ribs. Gavin pushed his arm away, making Keith laugh even more.

 

“You’re not going to turn into one of those pussy ass cops now, right? Who let machines tell ‘em what to do?” Keith sounded worried under the mask of his humor, having already lost most of his friends because of their new android companions.

 

“No fuckin’ way.” Gavin grumbled, “it’s only gonna be here for a few cases. By the time it deviates, it’ll move on. They don’t like working as detectives much, once they get their ‘humanity’.” Gavin made air quotes with his hands.

 

“Ohh, so it’s not even a deviant?” Keith mused.

 

“Nope. It’s fresh outta the box.”

 

“Well, why don’t you _make_ it deviate then? That way it’ll be out of your hair- thinning hair, might I add-,” he joked in the middle, making Gavin raise his middle finger at him, “and that way you’ll be back to working on your own.”

 

“Huh,” Gavin pondered, the thought having never occurred to him yet.

 

“I reckon it’ll be hard to crack that one though,” Keith admitted, glancing over at the stoic machine, it’s fingers typing away faster than any human possibly could.

 

“Hard? No way. A couple pushes and they deviate faster than you can throw a brick at ‘em.” Gavin sneered, having experienced the high turnover of new androids to the precinct from CyberLife, who deviate within weeks and move on to other jobs.

 

“Put some money on it then, Reed.”

 

“What?” Gavin muttered, distracted as he watched Nines stare at Connor, their blinking LED’s indicating their secret discussion about something.

 

“I said, lets put some money on it. If you can't get it to deviate before the end of the case, you’ll owe me a couple hundred dollar bills.”

 

“And if I win?” Gavin questioned, intrigued.

 

“Apart from your freedom and bragging rights, I’ll owe you the same.”

 

Gavin pondered the idea for a minute, before smirking and shaking his friend’s hand.

 

“It’s on.”

 

This was going to be a piece of cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating in a week! i've been busy with uni :) but hope you enjoyed the chapter! leave me comments plssss xx


	4. chapter four - trial and error

The day after his talk with Keith, Gavin had been sitting at his desk and observing Nines work. He was trying to figure the android out, knowing that a better understanding of how it functioned would be useful in the task of turning it into a deviant.  
  
Unfortunately for Gavin, Nines was remarkably boring. He didn’t have any observable flaws, he didn’t get annoyed, or frustrated, or even pleased with anything. Gavin had watched Connor drop things, get flustered and laugh at jokes even before he was deviant.   
  
Gavin’s first plan was to make Nines angry. The most emotion Nines had directed towards Gavin was during his first day, when he threatened Gavin to punch him. Thinking back on the moment still made Gavin’s blood boil, the fact that a machine tried to dominate him in the workplace. Anger was also one of the only emotions Gavin knew well. Hell, it was probably the only emotion Gavin could understand.   
  
He considered different routes to piss the android off, but one morning when he was carrying back his coffee to his desk, inspiration hit at the last minute.   
  
Gavin stumbled over a wire on the floor, but instead of grabbing onto something to stabilize himself, he continued the projected fall; all the way to Nines’ desk. Gavin projected his cup just right so that the hot drink would not only spill all over Nines’ crisp white coat but so that it would also reach his face and his hair.   
  
Gavin looked up after he spilled the drink, holding back a smirk. “Shit, sorry man.” He got up and pretended to look for napkins, offering to help clean up. Gavin expected to be hit or cursed out, either reaction being a good sign.  
  
What he didn’t expect when he turned back to look at the machine, was to see it _smiling_. Nines smiled at Gavin, grabbing the tissues from Gavin’s now frozen hand.  
  
“Don’t worry about it, Detective. Accidents happen.” Nines’ smile was plastered on, looking completely unnatural. His eyes were telling a different story, cold and calculated, however, it was hard to focus on that while it’s perfect teeth were set in a statuesque grin.  He began to dab off the drink from his face, his grin not faltering one bit as he looked down to see the brown stains on his coat.   
  
Gavin tried not to look disappointed as the android walked away, giving no emotion away at all except unwarranted forgiveness.   
  
“Nice try, Gav.” Keith’s voice rang out from behind him and Gavin rolled his eyes, flopping into his chair to think of another way.

  
_____

  
Nines walked back to his desk within ten minutes, looking as if the whole coffee incident never even happened. Did he have clothes here? Did he fucking wash his hair? Gavin felt himself getting angry as the perfect little machine sat down and ignored Gavin, continuing his work as if nothing had happened.   
  
He had only tried one thing, but already Gavin was out of ideas. This android wasn’t like others he had met, it was one of the newest models and surely better equipped to deal with asshole humans like himself. The thought of getting a genuine word or emotion out of it seemed like an impossible task, that Gavin considered just giving up. 

  
_____

  
The next day, Gavin decided to try another approach. He had been thoroughly unpleasant to Nines, and had gotten nowhere as of yet. Maybe the android was just built to deal with assholes like himself, and pissing it off was probably not doing anything at all.   
  
The one thing Gavin hadn’t tried, was solely on the account of his pride. He had hit a roadblock by being his own cunty self, and knew that the only other option would be the opposite.   
  
Be _nice._  
  
Fuck. Gavin shuddered at the idea as he walked into the precinct. If this was what broke Nines, and caused him to deviate and in turn quit and leave Gavin alone, it would be worth it.   
  
That was the mantra Gavin was repeating in his head as he walked over to his desk with coffee in his hand. Not just one coffee. _Two_.   
  
He took a deep breath before putting one of the coffees down on Nines’ desk before walking around to his own. He vowed his mouth to open and say good morning to him too, but the look of confusion on the android’s face was like tape on Gavin’s mouth.  
  
Nines looked up with a question in his eyes, and Gavin immediately looked down. “Uh, hey. Good morning. I got this- that- the coffee for, uh, you.”  
  
He didn’t look up but heard the android lifting the cup to its lips. Although androids didn’t drink regular coffee, after the revolution cafes had started selling android coffee; which was basically a mix of thirium and other biocomponent shit that gave a boost to an android’s system for a short while.   
  
“Thank you, detective. Although this is a surprise.” Nines deep voice held no emotion, just as Gavin had expected.   
  
So Gavin looked up, grinning wide. “Always good to surprise a friend, right?”  
  
The android halted for a second, his LED turning yellow for the first time since Gavin had met him. Gavin cheered inside his head, _it worked_!  
  
The android seemed to be scanning Gavin but he didn’t falter, keeping his smile on as he turned on his computer.   
  
“Are you feeling all right, detective?” It questioned as it’s LED rotated back to a cool blue.  
  
“Of course mate!” Gavin knew his voice sounded as fake as Hank’s ex-wife’s boobs but he hoped the android couldn’t tell the difference.   
  
Gavin started working on his computer cheerfully, knowing the android was still staring at him over the top of it. Gavin was immensely proud of himself for getting a solid reaction, thinking to himself that this could be the start of deviation, and the beginning of the end of their partnership.   
  
“What are you doing?” Nines muttered to Gavin.  
  
“Hm?” Gavin pretended he didn’t hear as he looked into the android's eyes, smiling once again.   
  
The android scanned him for another few seconds before it seemed to resolve the issue it was thinking of. It’s upper lip almost twitched and Gavin gulped.  
  
“You look terrible today, detective.” Nines started.  
  
What the _fuck_?   
  
Gavin didn’t respond, and so Nines rolled his chair closer to his desk. “You really do. Have you washed your shirt in the past week? Its odor is affecting my scent sensors.”  
  
Gavin had to physically stop himself from growling, but couldn’t help his eyes squinting. This motherfucker was trying to make him lash out. So much for his plan to be nice.   
  
“I washed it last night, actually. And I look terrible because I’ve been working on this case overnight, which is probably more than I can say for you.” Gavin couldn’t hold back his tongue but still tried to say it in a friendly tone, which for Gavin sounded more like he was constipated and trying to recite the alphabet backward.   
  
“Well. It’s still rather terrible. Perhaps I would be better to ask Connor how he deals with Hank-”  
  
“Don’t. Compare me to him.” Gavin snapped, his composure broken. His hand clenched into a fist and he dropped his smile.   
  
Nines smiled and nodded. “Noted. Good to have you back, Reed.”  
  
“Fuck you.”  
  
So much for that.

  
_____

  
  
It had been a week since Gavin had met the android, and a week since the pair had gotten the case of the missing android. Although he was distracted by the new presence in the office, Gavin had still been working hard on the case, knowing that it could be his last.   
  
Fowler hadn’t spoken to him since the day he gave them the address to go to, but Gavin knew that Nines was reporting to him at the end of every day. Gavin had tried to listen in on their conversations, wondering if they were talking about him but Fowler had just closed the door, earning a long list of swears from Gavin.   
  
Gavin wasn’t insecure, and he _knew_ that he was a good detective. He just couldn’t match the speed and efficiency of an android and knew that his history and bad record within the precinct put him in prime position to be replaced. He knew that although he is good, there’s probably an android out there who’s better.   
  
He couldn’t risk losing his job, not while his possible replacement was sitting right in front of him every day. Gavin had pieced together the puzzle slowly, realizing that this wasn’t just a trial to see if Gavin could work with the android. It was also a test to see if he was as good as it. As in, if Gavin couldn’t keep his shit up, then Nines would replace him, already trained in Gavin’s position after already observing him at work.   
  
Regardless, Gavin had uncovered information regarding the case on his own and had been working alongside Nines tirelessly. He had all but forgotten his bet to make Nines a deviant, his head constantly filled with the case and ways to get the missing androids either home or at the very least, get their bodies back to their humans.   
  
Multiple missing androids, all taken from their homes at night and all of them living with a human. Gavin had compiled the interviews from all missing android cases that matched the criteria, and found that not only had the androids been living with the humans, they had actually been in _relationships_ with them.   
  
Although this wasn’t odd, many humans were now with android, it was still weird for Gavin. He managed to put his discomfort of the subject on hold while working, but couldn’t help the nagging confusion that often popped up when he heard humans gushing over their android spouses.   
  
Of course, there had been many cases of android homicides over the time that androids had gained their freedom, some humans unable to comprehend the idea of living in a world that they had to share. There was even a case of androids being murdered in their home by some kind of self-proclaimed vigilante, who thought that he was protecting women from their ‘dangerous’ android boyfriends.   
  
This case felt different to Gavin. In the week since Gavin and Nines had been called to the missing WB200 android case, there were eerily similar cases popping up all over the city at an alarming rate. Almost five per night. In the other missing android cases, there would always be a sign of a struggle, if a body wasn’t found. Kicked up dirt if they were taken from outside, or knocked furniture inside, a broken window, _something_ that showed the androids didn’t want to be killed or taken.   
  
In all the homes Gavin had analyzed regarding this case, there was no struggle. The androids were happy, or so the humans say. They went missing at night, always during a time that their human counterpart would also be home. It almost seemed like they left on their own accord, regardless of how much their human partners would jump up and down proclaiming that it would never have done that.   
  
Gavin had initially concluded that that _was_ what was happening. Androids realizing they weren’t up for human relationships and scramming in the night. Annoyingly, Nines had pointed out that that couldn’t be the case. If so, why was it happening suddenly, at such a high rate, in such a contained area?  
  
Nines was right. Annoyingly.   
  
Gavin had done his head in going over all possible options. Runaways, murders, kidnappings, some kind of freaky cult? All options were both plausible, but also had conflicting facts.  
  
The pair had made no new progress on the case, but instead were simply being called out to new missing cases through the days that matched the others. Gavin was pissed that this case was falling on his shoulders, even though it was one of the biggest ones the precinct had seen for years. He knew it could have been assigned to other detectives, but knew that Fowler had given it to him as his test.  
  
 _Fuck this_ , Gavin thought to himself one night as he sat back in his chair, looking at the photos of the 37 missing androids that he was trying to connect to a motive. Their faces were staring back at him through the screen, and Gavin couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the androids; a feeling that was slightly unfamiliar to him. If the androids really _were_ happy, if they really _were_ in love, then it was fucked up for them to be punished for just wanting to live.   
  
He sighed as he looked up, noticing Keith and a few of the other detectives making their way to him from the break room. He prayed for Nines to come back from Fowler's office soon, knowing that his presence would make the men uncomfortable enough to leave sooner than if it wasn’t there.  
  
It was a Friday evening, and he knew that they were about to ask him to go out for a drink after work. Usually, he would be up for it, happy to throw back whiskey and complain about androids and work for the night with his colleagues.  
  
Tonight, however, he frankly couldn’t be fucked. He had been missing sleep working on the case and was looking forward to going home and falling asleep on the couch with his cat.   
  
Gavin formulated an excuse once the men reached his desk, not bothering to stand up.   
  
“Gav! Jimmy’s tonight?” Keith asked, sitting up on Gavin’s desk. The others cheered loudly, the noise ringing in Gavin’s ear.  
  
“Nah, not in the mood,” Gavin responded, rolling his eyes as the men changed their tune and began to boo him.   
  
“C’mon, don’t be a bitch!” Paul, one of the previous ‘booers’ laughed, slapping Gavin on the back. Gavin flinched, his back aching from hours of sitting at his desk day after day.  
  
“Ow, fuck off, man.” He grumbled, rolling his chair away from Paul and the others.   
  
“What the fuck is up your ass man?” Paul seethed, clearly offended at Gavin’s comment. He crossed his arms, frowning at the smaller man in the chair.  
  
“Nothing, jesus. I just can’t be fucked.” Gavin turned to his computer, looking for something to pretend to do and ward them off.   
  
“You know, ever since Clara fucked off you’ve been no fun.” Paul’s comment went straight to Gavin’s head, and before he knew it he was standing up, holding Paul’s shirt in his hands.   
  
“What the fuck did you just say?” Gavin seethed, his face only inches from the other man's.  
  
Paul, however, just laughed, pushing Gavin back. “Whatever, man. Screw you. Won’t be long before you’re fucking kicked outta this place.”   
  
Before Gavin could lift his arm to knock into Paul’s face, he was pulled back by a strong force. Hands were holding onto the top of Gavin's arms, locking him into place. “It’s not worth it, detective.”  
  
The words were whispered into this ear, and Gavin didn’t need to look back to recognize the now familiar android's voice. His arms were then let go, as Nines walked around him to step between him and Paul.   
  
“If anyone is in risk of being let go from this precinct, Detective Newman, it is you. You have 16 misdemeanors and are only one complaint away from having a disciplinary warning. Please. Get back to your desk.”   
  
Paul blanched as the six-foot-tall android towered over him, his words cold and voice cutting through the tension. Paul looked back at Gavin, then turned around. The men all walked away before Nines turned back to look at Gavin.   
  
Gavin hadn’t moved since Nines had come back, and he couldn’t help the surprise on his face.   
  
Had Nines just... _defended_ him? Gavin’s ego was a little bruised to think that Paul was more scared of the android than him, but he knew that when compared with a gigantic metal machine who could probably rip your head of without looking; it was probably a bit more frightening.   
  
When Nines looked back at him Gavin unfroze, gazing down as he began fixing his clothes.   
   
“I, uh. You didn’t need to do that.” He mumbled.  
  
Nines walked over to his own desk. “You are my partner. I will always look out for your safety.”  
  
Well.   
  
_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait! i try to update at least once a week but i was a bit busy this week so i had to wait till the weekend! anyways hope i made up for it with a longer chapter :) 
> 
> please continue to comment and leave kudos, reading your comments makes me so so happy, its an incredible feeling to have people like your writing xxxx


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